Antibiotic Prophylaxis for Hip Replacement Surgery

In 2011, 100% of Highland Hospital's total hip replacement patients had their antibiotics discontinued within 24 hours after the surgery end time.

Prophylactic antibiotics should be discontinued within 24 hours after the surgery end time to prevent patients from developing resistance to the antibiotics.

According to the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) Surgical Infection Prevention Core Performance Measures, patients undergoing hip arthroplasty should receive a prophylactic antibiotic within one hour prior to the surgical incision being made.